Power
by omgwtfkitteh
Summary: This time the shoe is on the other foot. [ZADR]


"This is too perfect you know."

That cocky tone to his voice as he said those words and that damn smirk on his face. No, that wasn't a smirk. That was an all out grin. He was enjoying the situation far too much and all I could do was hang from the tangle of wires and sharp arms that held me above the floor. I thought he was gone for the day. I had seen the Voot Cruiser leave the attic. I would later find out because of Zim rubbing the information in my face that Gir was merely taking it out for a joy ride.

I had laughed at that part despite the situation.

"You've become so careless, Dib-stink. Now look where it's led you. Tied up and helpless in my lab where no one can hear you." There was that grin again. Bastard. "Of course I'm sure no one would want to hear you anyway, right? That's the way it's always been these past years."

I had been trying to keep a cool face the entire time I had been bound up, but those words had caused me to scowl at him. He wanted to get to me in some way and he had known me long enough to know he didn't have to touch me to hurt me. The fights between us had gotten worse and worse over the years. More and more brutal until they just became mind games that we created to try and get into each other's heads.

I was never successful at any of my attempts.

"Are you going to torture me or just kill me?" The question came from me in such an even voice that it would have seemed like I wasn't afraid of whatever answer I would have been given. Over the years I had taught myself that if I showed any fear in front of the Irken he would more than likely, no, scratch that, he would _definitely_ take advantage of it. He did it a few times before and I never wanted to deal with it again.

"Torture you, yes. Kill you, never." He was starting to walk around me as if I was already one of his experiments. I guess I was. "Killing you would mean ending the game we have. The constant battle. As much as it hurts me to admit it, and truly it does, I enjoy messing with you. I enjoy bringing out the worst in you." He stopped in front of me and I must have been glaring because he seemed to be much too satisfied with something. "That's what I do right, Dib-human? I tell you things you don't want to believe and so, you just push everything I've said to the side."

"That's because everything you say is bullshit, Zim" My fists clenched above me and in that moment I knew the mask I had tried to keep in place was completely gone. "One day everyone will listen to me. They will listen to every word I have to say and that's when you'll be gone. You'll be on a table somewhere in a lab with your insides hanging out and you know what? I hope I'm the one standing over you."

"Do you really?" With that one question he stepped back away from me just so he could turn on his heel to face his computer. "Are you sure that's what you really want, Dib? Do you really want it all to end? Do you think it would all so easily end in just a matter of seconds when not even one soul will look at just one lousy picture or video tape?"

"Don't call me Dib." It was the only thing that would come from my mouth. Among all of the questions he had asked all I could do was be annoyed that for once he had actually called me by my name. I wasn't in the mood for any of this.

"Fine, _human_." He shot a small glance back at me. Just as quickly though he looked back down at whatever console was in front of him. I wasn't paying attention. "You didn't answer any of my questions. You never do. Just as I said you're always quick to push them to the back of your head. You never want to think about them. You're afraid."

I turned my eyes away from him at that. "I'm sick of this mind game shit, Zim. It's the same routine all the time. You always bring up the same topics. It's getting old." I turned my eyes up to the wires above me. To the bonds that held me. "You always try to make me believe that I'm on my own in all of this. You try to make me believe that the world will never care. I don't believe any of that and I never will."

There was clicking on his side of the room and I knew that couldn't mean anything good. I wondered for that one moment what kind of torture he really had in store for me. It was only when I heard his voice again that I broke away from my thoughts. "You're blind just like the rest of them." A laugh came from him, but it wasn't like any of his manic ones. This laugh I could barely hear. It was just a noise under his breath and had me moving my head back down to look at his back.

"What do you mean by that?"

More clicking on his side of the room and finally I felt the bonds lower me to the floor. I was shocked to say the least. This wasn't torture. This was freedom. I didn't know what he was trying to do. What game he was trying to actually play this time, but I wasn't going to ruin it for myself. I immediately pulled my arms back down only to find out one thing. I couldn't.

I was still bound up. He hadn't let me go at all. He had just lowered me back down to the ground. In that moment I really did want to kick and scream. I wanted to do anything but just stand there. I couldn't though because then he would win.

"You're blind, _human_, because you don't see the truth. The fact that your race just doesn't care. They don't want to care about anything you have to say. You just don't want to see it. It's just like how they are too blind to notice an alien right under their noses." He turned to face me once more. That cocky smirk was on his face and once more I wanted to wipe it off. "It balances out quite nicely, don't you think?"

I couldn't quit shaking. I don't know why. I had to remember that it was all one huge trick. I had to keep calm, but it just wasn't working. I couldn't let him win at this. If he did, then what?

"The losers and the one complete failure."

I didn't even realize I had yanked myself away from the wires and arms until I was on top of him. I had knocked us both to the ground and I had started slamming his head into the floor below us. He was trying to talk, trying to yell out, but I wouldn't let him. I wasn't that strong I admit which meant each blow I tried to force to the back of his head didn't cause the trauma I wished it would.

"Comput-accck!"

Before the word was able to be completely formed I had stood up. My boot landed on his throat and I pushed down as hard as the adrenaline would allow. "Don't you dare." It surprised me to hear the words come out so calmly from my mouth. He was too busy struggling to really pay any attention though. I stood there watching him and waiting for him to finally give in. I didn't have to wait long. He only stared up at me with his hand on my boot. If looks could kill the game would have finally ended.

"You want me to crumble isn't that right, Zim? You want me to break down so much that I just give in and give up on the whole planet. That I give up on my race. Isn't that right?" I bent down with my boot still at his throat just so I could be face to face with him. "It's not going to happen. It will never happen. This planet will never belong to you or the Irken race."

He stared back at me with narrowed eyes that weren't exactly angry. Sometimes when he allowed it I could tell what Zim was thinking or feeling, and at that moment he was more confused then anything. "Why keep fighting when what I say is true? Just crack already!" The last part _was_ shouted in anger.

All I could do was stare back at him for what felt like much longer than a few minutes. Then, the same laugh he had given out much earlier I gave out myself. I closed the gap between us just so I could touch our lips together. It was quick and nothing special. Zim didn't even move. Not even when I pulled my boot away.

When I stood I continued to look down at him. His wide eyes surprisingly held no real emotion as they stared back at me. "I thought you didn't want it to end?" I didn't even wait for an answer to a question that didn't need one. Instead, I turned around with a smirk and made my way to where I knew the exit was. I had been around enough times. Zim didn't even try to stop me.

It was my turn to play the mind games.


End file.
